when you realize the script sucks, but you've already started shooting
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 січ 2025
- Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: nebula.tv/cine...
Watch this video ad-free on Nebula: nebula.tv/vide...
// Support me at: www.Patreon.com/CinemaStix
There's only one original Gladiator. The 2000 classic, from director Ridley Scott wasn't made like your average $100M blockbuster. Scott and actor Russel Crowe hated the script they went into production with, and ended up reconstructing most of the film on set in the moment. Today, I'll look at some of those changes.
Written & Edited by Danny Boyd
#gladiator #ridleyscott #videoessay
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: nebula.tv/cinemastix
Early content, exclusive content, ad-free content.
Plus a great way to support me.
:)
JetLag keeps me on nebula, peak show
Can you do a video why the remake of Ben Hur is not as good as the 1950s one?
Until a few days ago, I didn't know the making of Gladiator was so chaotic. Almost anything that could go wrong, went wrong. Yet, the final product was a great movie, mainly because of the cast and crew's sheer faith in the film. A cinematic miracle.
Gladiator, World War Z, .....
The final product was a dour, downbeat, shallow, and overrated movie.
@@Thagomizerguess you're better than most moviegoers and a good portion of Italians. They love this movie.
@@Thagomizer One of the best movies ever
@@Thagomizer watched this movie for the first time yesterday i aint really like it niether
I just saw Gladiator for the first time this week and now I understand why so many people love it and talk about it to this day, it is truly a timeless story!
Eh, I've seen it twice and never been that impressed by it.
@@Mistwolfssyet here you are
@gustavselin1197 ya, I like listening to people talk about movies.
wait til you see the new one, its shit
@ trust me I watched enough reviews of that one, I rather spend my money on something else 😂
There was a dream that was gladiator. A dream so fragile you could only whisper it
Let us whisper together now.
If you will it, it will come.
The thing about movies like Gladiator is that the majority of the people involved are excellent at their jobs, so that makes up for not having a great script. Like yeah maybe Crowe didn't "like" the speech, but he knows how to deliver it, Phoenix knows how to react, Scott knows how to film it, and Zimmer makes you feel it with the music. Nevermind cinematographer, editor, costumers, etc. I don't know who did those but I'd say they were all probably above average talent as well.
I think you're right. However I think the magic of movie making (or any collaboration) is that the same talent could have assembled and made bad choices all the way along the line. Robin Hood, for example, was excreble. Kingdom of Heaven very weak. Gladiator is just one of those happy accidents that make a great film. You can put all the pieces you like together, but the interplay is up to magic/chaos/chance.
My old skool lecturer was a genius, he would point out great film after great film, he said chemistry and cast go so far and beyond. Hes right , you look at the mish mash that they try and throw together now. In todays film its just so random because they now have got rid of casting and go for an umbrella 'all-inclusive' , so most films are waaaay off the mark in that absolute precision that is vital.
Here u could say : Russel has the definitive alpha male look, Jacques has the incel look, all the old men look noble and wise.
Same in 300, Private Ryan, Jaws,
Due to politics, Hollywood has turned its back on this very important factor in finding the definitive character.
@@armondtanz do you have an example of a movie that you think had bad casting? I think it’s interesting you mention Saving Private Ryan as having good casting because from a dramatic POV it was obviously great, but from a historical accuracy POV I think it wasn’t great, everyone was way too old.
@methos1999 theres a huge correlation between the biggest flops from 2016 - 2024 , start with 'ghostbusters 2016'. Chris Hemsworth as a secretary??? Really.
Toy story 4. Drop buzz light year and make bo peep girl boss with jump suit and edgy 'I dont need no man' attitude.
Lol, look at snow white, hows the publicity and promo going for that?
@@armondtanz ok. I haven’t seen any of the ghostbusters movies, but I heard the one in 2016 was a mess for many reasons, not specifically the casting of Chris Hemsworth. But your point would make more sense if you chose to highlight actual flops - Toy Story 4 cost $200 million and made $1 billion, so ok fine you didn’t like it but it was objectively a success.
*7:48* "Am I not merciful?" Commodus asked calmly.
That's what the script said. As noted, shit.
lmaaaaoooooo
its giving harrydidyouputyernameonthegobletoffire
Lucilla did you put your name in the goblet of fire
😂
@@visionist7 wth? 😂 I can picture a resurrected Marcus Aurelius asking her this in an alternate cut of the film 😂
“ Are you not entertained”
Best movie one liner
I will give you one liner
but what about that roachshack dialogue when he gets puched up on in line in prison
@ I not that familiar with the movie.
I just love Crowe and that LINE. It’s way better then
I ll be back or The name is Bond, James Bond
@@marcsarfati3291
oh sorry...I was talking about watchmen
Drinker: We are not entertained.
@@marcsarfati3291I think Bond's is more iconic. But they're all great!
Sorry, but John Logan didn't write Casino Royale. He wrote Skyfall and Spectre
That mistake is going to haunt me forever. Let’s get this comment some likes to bring it to the top.
Yes. Casino Royale’s screenplay credits go to Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis.
@@CinemaStix
Let’s heap shame on cinemastix and never forget or forgive this massive oversight
@@CinemaStix We all make mistakes sometimes, it's human so don't worry. Please continue making your great videos!
@@ethanho3045 Absolutely right, Ethan. It is okay to make mistakes. Honestly, I am completely unbothered by it.
1:17 can i say. i LOVE that you put that shot of commodo placing miniatures in a mini colosseum when talking about how it's script was mostly created on set? it's a brilliant move i love itttt
I agree. 🫶
That was a really nice touch indeed
Cool - Commodus - Cheers
I got the vhs of Gladiator when I was a 9 year old. I was probably too young to watch it, but it left such an impression on me and sparked my interest in Roman history which ultimately made me choose history as a minor when I went to university.
That’s what the Elizabeth movie did to me lol 😆
What was your major if I may ask? Judt curios
@@essennagerry PoliSci
I downloaded it and with my TV capture card recorded it on VHS to watch on television with my friends hehe
@@essennagerry PoliSci
Dude "I didn't say I knew him, I said he touched me on the shoulder once" is a killer line
Best Movie commentary on UA-cam, no competition, all your videos just keep getting better man!
50 videos in, you don’t know what it means to me to hear that. Thank you :)
this guy gets it.
@@CinemaStixIt’s true🫡
Agree. The only other one I put on the same level is Wolfcrow.
Very good videos, but I personally cannot place them higher than the original, Every Frame A Painting. The main reason is simple: EFAP videos are/were only as long as they need to be. These videos are frequently 10 minutes long, which is the perfect length for the algorithm + it seems a standard that Danny has for his content.
The only critique I have for CinemaStix's overall style, which I can't really critique too much. Just my preference for succinct storytelling.
Russell Crowes performance made this movie what it is today, I wish we had movies like this today
Phoenix's performance made the movie just as much. They both deserve equal credit.
There's a lot of true greats of acting in that movie, Russel Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed (a great character, look him up in interviews; sadly a massive alcoholic), Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris (of Dumbledore fame), Derek Jacobi (loved him in 5th Element amongst many other things), Djimon Hounsou, and so many more. From the sounds of the journey it went on to come to us they all made this film what it is.
Was fun to notice that Omid Djalili had a part in the film, who I think is a really funny comedian. You can click on any of the cast in that film and go "I didn't know he was also in that" for many other loved or iconic films pretty much every time.
I agree we need more movies like this, although not exactly like this. Don't want a sequel or a remake thanks.
we have and a lot of them are way better, rewatched it a few weeks ago and was bored out of my mind, its a great movie but its not some sort of pinacle at all
Me 2. It's actually right now on tv .
I still like Russel Crowe.
I wish directors could make more movies like this in 2024 without blue screen
Funny cuz we just got Gladiator 2.
Ridley’s disdain for scripts has proven to be his weakness nowadays though, he’s begun choosing screenwriters at random, some awful, some decent, which is why his films are so hit and miss. So sure this was written on the fly, but by a GOOD production TEAM and writers. Napoleon and Gladiator II are some of the dull uninspired screenplays ive ever seen executed about such amazing subject-matter
Yep his success rate is like 50/50 which is pretty bad.
Didley hasn't hit anything since Kingdom of Heaven(2005)
Scott REALLY knows how to point a camera and manage a production but he has poor instincts on story and script selection. Not everyone is great at everything.
this is a great take
Gladiator 2 was actually pretty good.
Beautiful work here. I actually teared up a bit, as I realized the actors and everyone was putting their SOUL into this work. Digging up the raw, real emotion, it looked like. And whatever this background music is was a good touch. Sometimes a "perfect storm" of chaos is required to bring the most beautiful, perfect circumstances for a masterpiece or to finally reach a level of success.
It also lies in the moments of "flow state" which has been well documented by a European psychologist back in like the 1950's, it is a key ingredient in all of this. The "flow" of the fluidity within the confines described by Crowe here when he was discussing the budget. I just saw the second film in theatres, it was well done but I think it can't out do the first thematically. It can only build on it, which it did quite nicely (though with less overt spiritual depth)
I saw Gladiator with my best friend in theaters. He still jokingly laughs at me for crying during the open sequence as arrows flew through the forest. It is an amazing film.
I saw this with my best friends too when we were freshmen in high school. From the day we saw the trailer we knew it would be epic and meanigful. Did not disapoint.
0:28 - *"Runner-up* to the *second* highest-grossing film"...? So... it was the *_third_* highest-grossing film?
Haha that is a rather strange thing to say
Lmao 😂😂
No. If you are a runner up to second place, that means there is a multi way tie for third place. If you check the box office figures for the year 2000, Gladiator and A Perfect Storm are within four million dollars of each other for top grossing films that year, tied for third behind Mission Impossible 2.
Since advertising how well your film is doing can lead to more buzz to come see your film, and since top grossing includes things like how well your film does internationally, I assume there was strong incentive at the time for both films to claim they were in third place. There may have also been strong incentive to "massage the numbers" so that the final tally may not be as objective and trustworthy as it seems. Clearly neither of these films beat out Tom Cruise or The Grinch, which each made tens to hundreds of millions more, but which actually was in third or fourth place is likely unknowable now. A tie, in effect.
@@SK-ny5ei - No, "runner-up for X", used in the singular, simply means "finished second in a race for X". There's no implication that it's tied (let alone "almost tied").
For example, _Mission: Impossible II_ was the runner-up for highest-grossing film of 2000. That doesn't mean it was tied (or nearly tied) with the first or third, it simply means it came second.
Saying that someone (or some thing) "finished second in the race for second place" is just weird phrasing (I wonder if it was deliberate, or a script editing mishap).
And there was no "multi-way tie"; _Gladiator_ was third, $4M (2.1%) ahead of _The Perfect Storm_ (and several other movies that year were closer to each other than those two). Fifth was _Meet the Parents,_ $11M (6.8%) behind The Perfect Storm. At best, that's a near "tie" between 3rd and 4th, not "a multi-way tie for third place".
@@RFC3514 ok, ok, Resever Champion then, like we do in the moo cow biz.
I usually avoid movie essays like the plague but there's 2-3 channels I watch religiously with notifications on and yours is one of them. Always happy to see a new upload :)
I’d be curious to know the others.
Me too, what are the others?
MovieWise is my favorite. He’s great with wordplay and vocabulary. I’ve learned a lot about script structure from him.
@@CinemaStixscene it is good
Not to mention the copyright claim is sure to come 😢 so you gotta watch it fast before our Overlords bring down the hammer
It's a very important point about the dialogue (6:30 to 7:05) - lines which may otherwise sound cheesy may come across as completely credible if delivered in the right tone and manner - Russell Crowe and Oliver Reed both delivered A+ performances.
Gladiator is the closest thing we have to a golden era classic. It's no coincidence its a period Roman story.
It's exquisitely executed, cheesey yet so well shot and acted it... Stands up.
I don’t think it’s cheesy at all but I agree with everything else you said 😊
So do you guys just see roman stuff and nothing else?
Between this and Blade Runner, I’m wondering does Ridley Scott ever like a script? Oh, and a round of applause for the soundtrack. A great deal of our videos were made while I played Now We Are Free on loop for hours 😂😂😂
he only cares about visuals, thats why he keeps directing awful films like the alien prequels, blade runner 2049 and gladiator 2.
He didn't direct 2049. Also, that was a solid film.
@@TheKingWhoWins I dont know man, I thought the script was cheesy and felt like fan fiction. And the editing is weird, I remember joiking the movie was 20 minutes too long and someone actually made a fan edit that cut 15 minutes of the film without removing any scenes.
@@pass-the-juice Did you see Gladiator 2?
@@TheKingWhoWins that was Villeneuve and while he also is a visual guy, unlike scott and even snyder he has an idean from what he wants to tell
Congrats to making it on Nebula! I’ll be watching you there!!
Yes!
And thanks. It was definitely a knock on the door I’d been waiting for.
I love/hate Proximo’s angry “I said he touched me on the shoulder once” the phrasing is so awkward that it stands out given how well eloquent everyone is otherwise. But it also works for me because he’s talking about the most important moment in his life and Maximus laughs in his face over it which I think cut very deep with Proximo, making him immediately self conscious. And so, Proximo yells back; he’s the boss, how dare one of his gladiators talk to him like that, so he’s compelled to bite back. But he’s so rattled that all he can come up with is “I said he touched me in the shoulder once”, betraying his otherwise assertive disposition.
I think Reed sells every line he's given in the film. I never thought of it as being awkward.
@@blofeld39Agreed. It’s surprising to me that anyone would think that was an awkward delivery.
I never thought of it as awkward
Charles Reed was perfect for that role and it's a shame he didn't make it to the end of filming because it would have made such an amazing Swan Song for a brilliant but complicated actor.
I think he hits every line pitch perfect and brings a credibility few actors at the time could have matched.
@@blofeld39 This. It struck me as authentic, not awkward. One of those sort of brusque, impulsive outbursts that you see regularly in everyday life. Not necessarily eloquent or perfectly stated, but it gets the point across, the way most people actually regularly talk.
Hey Danny, I just wanted to tell you that I really really enjoy your videos. There's something about them - style, editing, narration - that I just love.
One of the best is the Ocean's Eleven one and this was was quite good as well.
Thank you so much! Words of kindness definitely don’t go under-appreciated :)
I have seen gladiator countless times. I've also run to the soundtrack countless times. It's one of those ageless great stories we rarely get these days.
I had no idea most of it was worked out on the fly. Massive respect for the cast and crew getting it all so perfect.
Oh and Joaquin Phoenix is the man. Total beast.
If you are a fan of the movie I highly recommend to watch the behind the scenes. Is like a 30-60 min movie about the considerable struggles (main one, the script) to get the film done. Really entertaining.
Joaquin ❤
This explains a lot of why gladiator 2 fell so far short of the perfect storm that was the writing of gladiator
What about the line, "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." Was that in the script? It's one of my favorite movie lines ever.
Cool mine is Crowe - I knew they would send an assassin but didn't know it was their best - to Connie Nielsen - it makes sense because of their back story. Cheers
Same thing with Casablanca. It's the most beloved movie of all time, and it was basically written on the fly as it was being filmed.
Ingrid Bergman said she didn't know until the end who she was going off with the Paul Heinreid character or Humphrey Bogart character. Which was ideal for a woman divided by two lovers and two paths.
@@BillPeschel It wasn't just Ingrid. The writers [Epstein & Koch], the producer [Wallis] and the director [Curtiz] didn't know how it was going to end, either!
@@atlanteum that's true and I should have framed it that way. It wasn't they didn't tell her; they didn't know either.
@@atlanteum The issue being they couldn't have Rick go off to a concentration camp, as he does in the play. This is a war movie; he HAS to survive. So what winds up being the lynchpin is the moral flexibility of Louis Renault.
@@BillPeschel Have you read Aljean Harmetz' incredible behind the scenes making-of, "Round Up the Usual Suspects?" It covers the moment the writers were together in a car [on Sunset, I believe] and the ending hit both of the at the same time! Wonderful!
I love when artists, creatives working together, with that common vision and respect create magic. It's epic and wonderful and I love playing in that arena.
I was so unaware of the level of improv and brilliant last minute additions this movie benefited from. I proof that creativity needs space to bloom.
One of my absolute all time faves and it thrills me to learn something new about it.
Thank you. I always stop and watch as soon as I see the noti from your channel.
@1:03 the guy in blue jeans/white shirt and camera on the left corner!!
😅 damn
Ha good catch, if you zoom in, you’ll see there’s a camera dude right next to him so it’s part of the film crew
@@heffnjyes, and there is the tripod as well!😅
😂
Most people think jeans were invented in 1873. They're only half right. It was 1873....BC.
this just highlights how special russell crowe is, so much more depth with so much more ease than the new lead of the 2nd fiilm
Before I watched the Gladiator in my adult life I only remembered parts of it, some of them wrong even. Watching it as an adult I was awestruck. Nearly every part of this movie is simply incredible. Including costume designs. This movie singlehandedly shaped the way so many people imagine ancient times and influenced probably every portrayal of these times moving forward. It's a beautiful project through and through and I wish that there was another movie in the last, at least, 10 years that made me feel even remotely as impressed as that one. I miss the movies that after make me sit in silence and reflect on them, why I liked them, how it influenced me and so on. I remembered this movie as mostly and action flick with some story (child mind) and I couldn't have been more wrong with my memories. It is more akin to a beautiful theater play.
I really recommend Master and Commander if you haven't seen it. It has Russell in the leading role as well. It's more than 20 years old but still holds up.
Thank you Danny. I am so happy you are diving into Gladiator. I feel it is peek Ridley Scott.
I can't believe Maximus' line about vengeance was almost left out. It's THE iconic line of the movie.
Imagine hating it THAT much, as Russell Crowe did.
crowe and scott are undoubtedly marvelous at their craft, but in this case i think they got too into their own heads. the scene really needed to be bookended with a thematic declaration and those words were perfect.
I can see why he hated it. It's too on the nose.
@@Thagomizer but of all the things to be direct about, if murdering my family isn’t one of them, when could I be direct? Would that seriously be something you only alluded to in person when confronted with the coward that did it?
I certainly agree that being ‘on the nose’ in writing is usually bad, but I don’t think it’s a universal law; the most quoted line of the film, if not cinema, proves that.
Oh, I don't know. Personally I think, "Are you not entertained?" is a bit more widely recognized.
I first saw Gladiator on a random History class, I was probably 11. I then rented the DVD and watched it 40 times over a weekend. Your videos explaining all the messes and creativity around Gladiator have made me love it even more
Just rewatched for the first time in a decade and that last scene with Juba had me crying for the first time in years. I’ve walked out 3 movies this year (also first time in years) and have become so despondent with the state of filmmaking I forgot cinema can me move me like that.
So glad Crowe stuck with the _"Father to a murdered son"_ etc piece, as I personally find that to be one of the best in the movie! Granted, it was helped by the actors doing such a good job to sell it, but the line itself was powerful!
I thankfully saw the Star Wars video as soon as it came out. When I tried to find it again and couldn't, I knew this was a channel who's videos I better watch ASAP.
I was particularly sad about that one. That video had been living in my head for a year before I made it.
@@CinemaStix Why did it get taken down? And why is this one not taken down (yet) ?
Certain films undergo a process of having to be made up on the spot and salvaged through editing but when it works, it's magic. Gladiator is a miracle in that regard.
Gladiator is the best movie ever made. It's been my favorite movie ever since I saw it in 2000 when I was 10 years old, with my stepdad screaming on the couch at Commudus and me sitting there in awe.
5:19 i love that it was one of MAXIMUS'S closest friends that held on to, then gave to him the wife and son figurines!!!
THIS is Gladiator, the sequel is like that Cleopatra show on Netflix. They call something "history" when it's not reality.
Are you saying this because of Denzel Washington? Something tells me that's why, because even the first one is far from a historically accurate film.
What about the weird arena filled with water scene, among a few other stuff@@jphenry3404
@@jphenry3404 Denzel plays a real life emperor who was from Africa and was Black
Gladiator was one of the first movies I saw that wasn’t PG or edited for television. The way it delivered depth where stupid action was expected contrasted with my expectations for A Knight’s Tale. They delivered opposite my expectations. Add to that the unexpected soundtrack choices. I’ve always wondered how different the experience of both films would be if you could swap the music (and still have it align with the action, plot, and dialogue).
The choice they made in Gladiator to put feedback guitar in one of the matches has stuck with me as a songwriter and aspiring film composer ever since. I get chills just remembering it.
Yet A Knight's Tale is undeniably entertaining in it's light-hearted irreverence and successful because of it. I can only watch Gladiator between every few years since it's such a heavy film.
@@cattysplat I owe A Knight’s Tale another go. The contemporary rock/pop threw my expectations too much to enjoy the movie as much the first try
Your takes are sublime. I could listen to them even on films I do not care about. Thank you.
The first time I watched Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan, they both stood out as the best movies I had ever seen. And 25 years later they are still up there.
There is a fine line between epic and cheesy at times. I always cringed at the strength and honour motto, but others love it. Crowe may have hated the husband to a murdered wife etc line, but it is easily the most powerful line in the film. Sometimes you need a little imagination to see a written line will work in context. That one definitely does. It’s his reveal, it’s the chilling moment for his adversary. It’s a man saying the truth to a tyrant without fear, revealing he has picked on someone his own size and it’s going to cost him.
Maximus is not just talking to the Emperor - Maximus is talking to the crowd and stating his case in front of Rome.
The emperor knows who Maximus is - the crowd needs the exposition and the theatricality.
@@jeronimo196 I'm not sure the crowd can hear him, but it's been a while since I watched it. The Praetorian Guard certain can though.
@@FloatingOnAZephyr the whole crowd is silent when the emperor asks his questions. So I assume at least some can hear the conversation.
Also, this is a Roman general, used to giving speeches and probably a trained orator - his voice carries when he wants it to.
(Yes, he'd probably have to shout louder in reality, but this is a similar conceit to a character walking in with a perfect rejoinder to an ongoing conversation from across the hall. The movie is showing us the acoustics worked out.)
The way Strength & Honour is used in the sequel is cheesy and uninspired. The whole film is completely uninspired
That line shows that a man is defined by his character, his work and his connection/responsibility to care and protect others. He was describing everything that Commodus was not.
this is one of the few films you can watch every year and still feel awe. what an amazing production journey... absolute glory
8:09 you earn a line like this. In most movies this would sound cheesy, so I get why they hated it on the page. It sounds melodramatic. But they’ve built this dramatic tension for going on an hour and a half at this point. This is such a release that we don’t think it’s cheesy.
I haven't seen this since it came out, I really didn't know it was that significant of a movie. I’ll have to rewatch it.
When I saw this movie in the cinema, when Maximus said the famous line about his vengeance the whole cinema started cheering. I've never experienced that before or since. Brilliant film
4:15 Russel Crowe looks like he's getting ready to play Gabe Newell in his new biopic
Perfect for Half Life 2 20th anniversary
Just saw Gladiator 2 and the key issue that stood out to me was the dialogue!
its too "modern"
You know the script is grasping at straws when you hear "I'm not good at speeches..." then proceed to hear a speech for the 15th time.
*Minor spoiler*
@@LizardSpork man i tell you what, that scene with ravi where he is showing marcus aurelius gear and sword to hanno and there's writing on the wall that was written in english not latin, I was so disappointed and confused... because i believe ravi can speak or understand latin when he talked to hanno before that.
Its minor yes but its blockbuster movie with ridley scott at the helm, why dont just go full latin at that point? it's a movie that take places in ancient rome anyway.
That and the need to inject certain types of actors rather than the best actors for that time period. Surprised they weren't waving rainbow flags around.
@@LizardSporkironically I think you just picked one of the better examples of dialogue in the film, and there isn’t much that’s positive here to comment on
The frost, sometimes it makes the blade stick. That line alone with the delivery.
It’s amazing what can happen when the actors really get into character and the director lets them play.
Oh man I didn’t know that video got removed for copyright! That was one of my favourites of yours, I found it so insightful :(
As someone who also shares a deep love for films, great work man.
Thanks!
To this day "I am greatly vexed" is part of my regular vocabulary.
Accidental perfection. Lighting only strikes once in the same place. The second Gladiator only confirms this.
3:12 I forgot MF DOOM was in this
lol
Underrated comment
I kept trying to rewind and pause that moment then this comment popped up genus😂
I never knew any of this, even though I saw it 3 times at the cinema when it was first released and have watched it over and over on Blu Ray. Incredible!! Instead of the great classic that it is, it could have been a terrible movie.
I think from what you’ve told us here, a lot of the praise for this film’s success comes from the editors. It’s almost like they’re a big part of creating this masterpiece from bits and pieces of random footage, shot from a nonexistent script. Amazing job!
its sad how much of this seems to have been lost in Gladiator 2
Paul Mescal has no charisma.
Gladiator what?
"I did not say I knew him, I said he touched me on the shoulder once" is legitimately one of my favourite lines in all of cinema. The fire that Reed puts into it, the sharp defensiveness makes it so clear. "I would never disrespect Marcus Aurelius by pretending I knew him, I wouldn't dare, I don't NEED to pretend it was more than it was. That one moment was enough." It tells you so much about what Marcus meant to him. It's so unexpectedly moving, and it's all in his delivery.
The dialogue in this movie is SO excellent. It may be "hammy", but it sounds exactly like you imagine people from those times would speak.
i love guessing which movie these videos are about just from the title in my notifs cause i thought we were going to be talking about 500 days of summer haha
I feel like this is the embodiment of creativity being born from constraint.
Great video! On my way to the theater to see Gladiator II.
I love that the people involved in movies will talk about them to give us insight on how they were made
Gladiator is so good that not only did every Italian-American quote it my whole life, it was also the source of the best Sopranos memes.
Notification gang! Gotta watch it before it gets taken down!
Sadly this.
I'm so glad you're on Nebula! All my favourite video essayists are there now :)
Watching this the last two nights I had two thoughts : Ridley's best films are the ones he loses control of and Cinemastix really should dig into Gladiator.
Loved seeing this pop up and learning Ridley didn't lose control, he never really had it. And I think you can feel the film is less a result of a manufactured production and more of fraught crafting.
Learning the issues with script explains why the film has a fairytale quality to me, they had to rely on simple story telling and didn't bother explaining or rationalizing character decisions, characters just do things and we're left to infer from previous scenes as to why.
Indeed. Definitely some weird alchemy going on where Scott produces fantastic films when the whole project is a spiralling, on-the-fly mess but some real turds when he has much tighter control and better planning. The new Gladiator is awful and that's just bizarre. So much of it is lazy and cliched, it's hard to understand how it could come from someone like Scott. Perhaps when the films aren't properly planned, he is forced to delegate the things he isn't actually any good at and he's left in control of a much more narrow set of elements that he does well, like visual language, mood etc. He clearly can't write a good story or decent dialogue.
finally a video that shows the ad in the end. nice.
Denzel using his regular voice really threw me off. Sounded like he was from NYC
It is 3 writers plus countless other people with a unique view and unique ideas adding to the story. The power of an entire community forming amd telling a story.
Writers workshops exist for this reason. Every great story needs input from multiple people.
This was my comfort movie throughout my later teens and early 20s. I've probably seen it about 40 times.
Just watched this last night with the family. Amazing film.
I may be wrong, but it seems to me that a production like this could put a lot of extra pressure on the edit and the editor to make it work.
Edit: This is fascinating. I had no idea a movie with such a large budget could be made this way. I doubt an equally large budget today would ever allow for this kind of creativity without an executive getting in the way.
It does but the editing team loved the film, the editing room was literally next door to Hans Zimmer’s studio so they would go back and forth in each other’s rooms going “hey what if we tried this!” and apparently just had a blast making it all
I think the problem with modern movies is they think they can do this too much .
They have multiple script writers and sometimes the script is still being written when filming starts .
They also think the movie can be fixed in the edit , when the movie turns out to be a mess they call everyone back for reshoots . This makes the film expensive with no clear direction.
wow. i had no idea. sometimes you take these films for granted, not realizing the love and fluidity it took to take a sh*t movie to the next level. thanks for the video!
That moment where Crowe removes his helmet and delivers those lines is the most perfect moment in movie history.
You produce really some great film perspectives. Fantastic work as always. Thanks, keep it up.
I enjoy your essays immensely. Thanks you for postint them, it means a lot. I have watched quite some movies just because you posted a video about them; this movie will be an addition to that list.
I think that’s about the highest praise a person doing what I do can receive. Thank you :)
I don't always agree with what you have to say,@@CinemaStix, but your inflections, your timing, the calm tone. It's excellent! Well done, sir.
I think Casa Blanca had a similar script situation. They were constantly writing and revising as they went along. And the result was an amazing movie. That would also make for a good video subject.
Just a quick note to say how much I enjoy your videos. Thanks for all your work to put these together.
Thanks for being here and watching them!
-Danny
I missed it, and it just might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and gets me over to Nebula…
When brilliant ppl get together brilliant things happen.
The first thing I said walking out of the theater after watching Gladiator 2 was how terrible the script was compared to the first film. It felt like the first film's script started hollow and was filled in with meaning, while the second script just remained hollow.
The character of Maximus was very much filled out. He felt like a real person. They spent a considerable amount of time in the begining of the.movie showing why Marcus Aurelius was the best of men and why he loved Maximus. For example when Marcus Aurelius tells Maximum he wants him to return Rome to a republic once he dies, .Maximus immediately says no I want to go home. Marcus Aurelius replies "that's why it has to be you." The second monie is devoid of any of that which reveals the true nature and integrity of the main character. You were truly rooting for Maximus. He is as real as any historical Roman.
Here after Gladiator 2, oh lord do I miss the original
Gladiator has no sequel...
Gladiator needs no sequel.
Authority is not given to you to deny the legacy of Gladiator
I honestly thought that Maximus' line was great in the film.
"Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance in this life, or the next."
It's not a casual line, it's a dramatic one, and it's appropriate to the topic. Maximus has been considering this idea for weeks? Months? It's not poetry, but it's not supposed to be poetry. He is deliberate in his delivery of this message.
"Gladiator" is an ancient revenge narrative. Scott knew his responsibility as director was simply to fill in the details of character and craft. Scott's "Blade Runner" also used the script as little more than a rough sketch for a movie. The awful narration in the original release was added at the insistence of the studio, which thought the "story" was more important than the characters and the spectacle, and Harrison Ford tried to sabotage it by reading it so badly that he hoped it couldn't be used -- a tactic that backfired. "Gladiator" is another variation on the antediluvian revenge formula that goes back to movies like "The Searchers" and "Mad Max"... and in literature and drama to before Ancient Rome itself.
Harrison Ford would learn that Movie Execs are basically a group of “Twin poop haired bosses” from Dilbert.
Wow...I hadn't heard that the Gladiator script was improvised to some extent. Of course it worked out brilliantly. But, I think one of the problems with a success such as this is that the filmmakers come to believe that they can replicate that serendipitous achievement, when, in fact, it was, in many ways, a happy accident that it worked. Obviously, there has to be some thread of coherence to begin with, so inspiration of structure that ultimately holds the whole thing together, and allows for the brilliant storytelling to unfold. But, I'd say, this kind of positive result is quite rare.
Very appropriate video. I'm seeing from various sources that the sequel is not great.
I’ve been avoiding everything about it until I see it, but that’s unfortunate to hear.
As a Gladiator fan, this video is HUGE.
passion like yours is contagious.
Perhaps look into where the elysian fields overall look originated. I've talked with folks who say they have dreamed of passed loved ones and that it was very close...
The unmasking scene is one of my favorite pieces of cinema. Everything after that is almost anticlimactic.
I'm so glad you're on nebula now. I have a lot of catching up to do.
Well...i expect you do one for Ben Hur with a record of 11 Oscar for most wins tied with other 2 movies. Come on don't disappoint your fans
This was super interesting and informative. I never knew this aspect of cinema. Nice work!